24 Hours

12:00 a.m.

Darkness enveloped me as I opened my eyes. Hazy thoughts and fatigue muddled my brain. W-what? Where am I?

Something hard pressed against my back—quite the contrast to lying down on my soft bed, like I should have been—and pain throbbed in my neck.

Ow! I must have slept wrong. I tried to lift my hand to rub the sore spot, but something resisted the motion. Huh? What's going on?

Each jerking movement of my arm made rope dig into my wrists. I attempted to stretch my legs, but my ankles were tethered, too.

That doesn't feel normal. I hope I'm not losing circulation.

I blinked a few times to clear my vision. The thinnest stream of light shone from behind me, enabling me to make out the outline of a desk in front of me. Brick walls surrounded me, and two chairs pressed against either side of the wall. Air escaped my lungs, relieved that no threat was materializing in the darkness. At least, not from the angle I sat at. I didn't know what was behind me—and I wasn't sure I wanted to find out.

A memory crystalized out of the mental confusion. I had been traveling home last night and had gotten into a cab to take me home. There had been a man in that car, a suspicious-looking man. Something bad must have happened. I could feel it in my gut.

What happened last night in the cab? I searched my memories but had no recollection of going back to my apartment. Did I fall asleep in the cab? No, surely I would have woken up once we arrived at my home. That means that the only other possibility is...

My eyes squeezed shut. This was something straight out from under my bed.

This was my worst nightmare.

I've been kidnapped!

Well, not kidnapped. I'm not a kid, at least not physically. Mentally...that one was debatable.

Why was I kidnapped? Am I about to die? Fear gripped my heart at a worse realization. Or am I already dead, and my soul is in a waiting room before I can go to my eternal destination? I really couldn't be sure of anything at this point. Everything was so weird, so messed up.

I'm not even thirty yet! I don't even have a girlfriend, much less a wife or kids. I haven't reached my midlife crisis, or retired from work and taken up golf as my hobby. How could I be dead?

At a bare minimum, I wished that I could have had some notice. I still needed to update my will. I hope I'm not tied up here for long.

But actually, if I am dead, it isn't as bad as I would have suspected. I mean, being tied to a chair isn't ideal, but at least I didn't have a painful death...

Pain shot through my neck.

Well, almost.

But part of me had a feeling that I was still alive. First, I could feel my heart steadily pumping in my chest, blood rushing through my veins. I doubted that dead people had a pulse. Second, I had a feeling that something far worse was in store for me. Death was too easy, too simple, too painless.

A pattering of leisurely footsteps echoed outside the room, faint with distance. I scanned the room, noting that I could not see any doors.

Is the door behind me?

My neck burned as I twisted it to glimpse what was behind me. Sure enough, there was a door. I sighed. I hated feeling like someone was sneaking up on me. That door is going under my bed, I resolved.

The thought did not comfort me, for the door still stood behind me.

The footsteps grew louder as they came closer. My pulse rose, keeping time with the brisk pace. Whispers hummed outside, followed by the jingling of keys.